Joan’s Journey: Box Type Saves Cat’s Life

Wednesday, August 14th, 2013 by Joan London

For this post, I’ve decided to divert from the hot topic of Moving and Packing 101 and instead share the allegedly true tale, “Cat in a Box,” told to me by the moving company representative who visited my condo.

As we chatted about my move to senior housing, he witnessed my curious kitty, Mia, lunge into a moving box, curl into a ball and take a nap.

He then recanted The Tale of Cat in a Box:

Moving day arrived. The family suitcases were located near the kitchen door, along with the pet carrier. The movers removed the furniture and boxes into the truck, and sped away. The family said a final goodbye to their home and were ready to move on. The daughter picked up the pet carrier and noticed that kitty was not inside. With the hectic final preparations, no one had remembered to place the cat in the carrier before the movers arrived. Family members searched the empty house, yard and street. No kitty could be found.

Concerned the cat had slipped outside during the move, the homeowner called the moving representative who notified the truck driver. The driver pulled off the highway, and the movers searched the truck. No kitty was uncovered. Fortunately, one of the men was feline savvy. He immediately suspected the kitty may have jumped into a box, nestled down in the soft packing paper and taken a nap. In the last-minute rush to seal the boxes, kitty could have been sealed inside.

The men gently tapped on each box and listened. When they reached Numbered Box 22, a muffled meow sounded. They quickly opened the box and a somewhat scared but well-rested and healthy cat emerged. The drivers returned to the company warehouse where the family picked up kitty and put her safely into her pet carrier — and everyone moved on.

The moral of “Cat in a Box” is: know your boxes. Fortunately, this cat tale ends happily because kitty was sealed in a “moving” box, not a “shipping” box. Join Joan’s Journey later this month for a review of boxes and the conclusion of “Packing and Moving 101.” If you have a moving or shipping tale, whether to senior housing or elsewhere, please share with us in the comments below.